Countdown
by mintbanana
Summary: I'm counting down from ten. If you haven't got off me by then, I AM going to kill you." Buttercup and Butch and how to confuse your enemy. Rated for language and sexual themes. BC's POV. Complete.
1. Countdown

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own any of the characters._

_Ever get that thing where you're listening to music and you hear a song that just makes you think 'hey, that would be perfect for [insert character(s) name(s) here]!' and you just have to go write it? I do. So this happened. _

_I really should have been doing psychology homework instead…_

**Countdown**

"Stop it. Get away from me. Now." I kept my voice hard, being careful not to show any emotion. My tormentor chuckled, his breath tickling my ear and making me squirm.

"Come now, that's not very nice, is it?"

"Cut the crap Butch," I growled. "That high and mighty bullshit doesn't suit you." He drew back a little and looked down at me, smirking. I looked away angrily, knowing that I was a mess. This fight had left my hair sticking to my face in sweat soaked straggles, getting even more covered in the dirt and blood that was smeared there. My t-shirt and combats were ruined, with holes now almost everywhere, and bruises were forming on my scratched knuckles where my gloves couldn't protect them.

That said, Butch hadn't got away completely unscathed. His own shirt was practically gone, hanging off him like so many strips of fabric, and there were lines of scratches running down his right cheek. His hair, meticulously gelled into messy spikes previously, was now all over the place, flopping limply over his left eye and sticking out at odd angles in the back. There were bruises all over his ribs as well, something which I took no small satisfaction in. However, that didn't change the fact that he still had me pinned down in the middle of a construction site with rocks digging painfully into my spine.

"I'm counting down from ten. If you haven't got off me by then, I _am_ going to kill you."

"How, exactly? In case you didn't notice, I've kinda got all of your limbs held down. That is, unless you plan to go all vampire and go for my throat." I eyed his jugular thoughtfully as he laughed at his own dumb joke. It might not be that bad of an idea… Apparently though, he caught my look.

"Easy there Princess. I like my girls kinky, but I never guessed you were into that." I automatically tried to punch him at that, only to have my arm slammed back down to the ground.

"I am _not_ your girl." I settled on snarling. He shrugged.

"Just think though, wouldn't that be something? We'd paint this town red for sure." I stared up at him incredulously; what the hell was he talking about?

"Ten. Get off me."

"Hey now BC, I'm just saying. It could work."

"Nine. No it couldn't." What was he doing? I didn't think he was smart enough to try and confuse me like this. Or maybe he was just trying to piss me off. He was managing that pretty well.

"Eight."

"Gee, you're as stubborn as ever. You'll never change."

"Seven."

"Alright, alright. It was a dumb suggestion. All the same, it doesn't change the fact that there's really nothing you can do about me holding you down."

"Six." I was speaking through gritted teeth now, and I could feel a massive pressure headache building up. Damn this guy…

"To be honest, I kinda like this view. It's nice to see you doing something other than hit me, you know?"

"Five."

"And I have to say, I think I improved your top for you. You cover yourself up way too much, which is a real shame; you've got a nice figure under all this baggy stuff."

"Four." I cursed silently as I felt a flush rising in my cheeks.

"Nice skin too. I guess you don't bruise so easy. Or maybe it's 'cause I was going on easy on you. Could be either really."

"…Three." Wait, what was that? Was that his…? Did he just...?

"Mm, tastes as good as it looks. Heh, who'd have guessed the little tomboy would taste so sweet?" My mind started screaming at me to do something. _Anything_. But instead I just continued to lie there, feeling really, really confused about why my arch-rival had just _licked me_.

"Two." I squeaked. Me; squeaking. What was _wrong_ with me?

"Ah, time's almost up. Shame, I was having such fun. Still, how about one for the road, huh?" And he bit me. I made a strangled rasping noise as he sunk his teeth into my neck, just hard enough to break the skin, and continued to make little gasps as he sucked and kissed and licked at the wound. I was disgusted at myself. That was _not_ who I was.

"…O…one…" I stuttered desperately, willing him to stop. And he did, planting a final little kiss on the mark he had undoubtedly left behind.

"Tick, tick, tick boom? You always were a little time bomb after all." And then, he was just… gone. I sat up and stared around, looking up to see the dark green vapour trail streaming off into the distance, soon joined by a blood red and navy blue pair. Subconsciously, I raised a hand to my neck and rubbed at it, feeling a swollen lump that stung when I accidentally applied too much pressure. I sat there, dazed for a few more minutes, until I heard Blossom's familiar 'battle's over, time to go home' voice ringing out over the construction site, calling my name. Then I saw Bubbles racing over to me.

"Buttercup! Gosh, are you okay? You look like you got hit by a train or something."

"Gee, thanks a lot." I stretched out my aching shoulder muscles and stood up, but caught Bubbles giving me a weird look.

"What?"

"Umm… your neck… Is that a…?"

"No! It's just… I don't know, okay? Let's just go home. I need a shower."

"Okay, I'll go tell Blossom I found you. She's just over there."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." As she trotted off, I stared up to where the boys' vapour trails were fading slowly from view.

_Dammit Butch,_ _what the hell were you playing at?_

-end-

I don't know if I should bother doing a follow up to this or not. I might, but then again, my writer's block has been acting up like woah recently, so I might not be able. I dunno. It could work as a longer thing. What do you guys think?


	2. Lit Fuse

_Well, everyone who reviewed seemed to think I should write more, and who am I to deny them? So, I gave it a shot; see what you think. By the way, I have two or possibly three more chapters planned for this; I thought I might as well make a right good go at it._

**Lit Fuse**

_Why is it so hot today?_

It was bad enough that I had spent the entire day trying _really_ hard to ignore all the staring and hushed questions being thrown at my sisters. It was bad enough that I had to try and act like it was no big deal. It was bad enough that I had broken another locker door by wrenching it open without unlocking it just so that I could get out of school faster.

But why did it have to be so goddamn hot?

Normally, hot doesn't bother me. I like the sun and I can deal with humidity (what do I care if my hair goes frizzy?), but unfortunately, it was too hot to even think about wearing anything more substantial than a tank top without evaporating, and of course that meant leaving that hideous _thing_ in plain sight of everyone. And I mean _everyone_.

Ugh, whatever. I was going home. Today was over and tomorrow was a whole other problem that I would think about later.

I scratched at my neck where the heat was making it itch, but caught people staring and promptly pretended to be fidgeting with the strap of my top. Dammit, now I was getting way too edgy. That guy… what was he playing at?

I managed to shake off the creeped out feeling that came over me every time I let myself think about it. This lasted until I was about three quarters of the way home, at which point everything promptly went straight to hell.

"Hey BC. You up for round two?" I froze on the spot. He was behind me. How had I not seen him?

"Butch." I murmured. I didn't turn around, and I didn't walk away. I wasn't sure that one would be any better than the other.

"The one and only." I heard him move closer, and then his breath was tickling my ear. I refused to shudder.

"Didja miss me?" he whispered, his voice sliding over my senses like silk. That wasn't the voice I knew. I mean, sure it sounded like him, but since when did he talk like that?

"What do you want?" I hissed, gripping the strap of my shoulder-bag tightly. I was well capable and quite willing to swing it into him if I had to. He chuckled, and I let out an involuntary and quite disgusted breath as he swiped his tongue over the mark he had left the day before.

"Hmm… So, do we get another countdown today? Or are you just going to kill me this time?"

"Don't tempt me." My voice seemed quieter, further away. Once again, the things he was doing were making me less… well, me. And I didn't like it. No one should be able to do this to me. I felt his hands slide onto my waist and I flinched.

"Get away from me. Now." But he didn't. He ignored me and instead pulled me back against him. I realised that I was shaking. I wanted to scream. Something was very, very wrong here; why wasn't I fighting back? Why was I letting him do this without a shred of opposition?

"Good to see you in something a little more revealing…" he muttered idly, kissing the skin behind my left ear. I turned my head slightly.

"It's not for your benefit you asshole." He laughed again.

"So? Doesn't mean I can't enjoy it." His arms slid further around my waist until I was held firmly to him, feeling him pressing into my back. I really felt like screaming now. Apart from anything else, the _heat_ coming from him was intense and I was starting to feel light-headed with it.

Wait, where was that hand going…?

"Get _OFF_ of me!" I yelled, swinging my bag round and smacking him in the side with it. He let go with a grunt, which then turned into a laugh.

"Ooh, touchy, are we?" I glared at him, dropping my bag and raising my fists. He held up his hands.

"Easy there, we don't want to fight in the middle of a living area, do we?" I stiffened. The bastard was right; there was no way we could risk fighting here, too much risk of civilians getting hurt.

"Damn you…" He came closer, just a step.

"Always so aggressive." I snorted.

"And you're not?" His eyes flashed at me, and suddenly, he was _there_. Right up in my face. I stared up through the two or three inches that separated our heights, showing him that I wouldn't back down. But that only made it all the easier for him to grab my chin and force me into a rough kiss. It didn't last long, but the sheer shock of it made me let out a surprised yelp. He tugged on my lip with his teeth as he pulled away, an evil smirk set on his lips.

"How was that?" I pulled away from him, one hand clamped over my mouth. My lips were tingling from the force behind the kiss and I was shaking all over again.

"You… The hell are you playing at?!" I screeched. He shrugged.

"Obviously, you're more difficult to convince than I thought…" He walked over and seized my chin again, but this time, he didn't kiss me, instead only pulling it round so I had to look at him.

"But, my little time bomb, the fuse has already been lit. This isn't over, and pretty soon, you won't want it to be." And then, he practically threw me away from him and took off, leaving me standing on shaky legs.

I made my way home on auto-pilot, trying desperately to rationalise things. Something had… snapped or something and suddenly I wasn't fending off punches anymore but was allowing myself to be violated. Okay, molested slightly.

And that whole thing about the fuse being lit… About it not being over… What was he saying? Was it a threat or…?

I touched the spot on my neck as I closed my bedroom door. Somehow, I knew that what he had said as true. This wasn't over. I just really hoped that I was wrong…

-end-

_Okay, so this was hell to write but I did it, and the third chapter shouldn't take too much longer. I'll carry on, but please, reviews will help. It's always good to have some encouragement, y'know? Anyway, thanks for stopping by!_


	3. Detonation

_I actually got the idea for this before I wrote Lit Fuse. Heh, non-linear thought processes are fun. Or something (what's the word… annoying? Yes, that's it). Anyway, the rating has now been bumped up, and things are gonna get darker this time kiddies, so you have been warned…_

_Anyway, yes, this is Detonation. Here we go!_

**Detonation**

_What's happening to me…?_

I knew it was way past midnight and that I was going to have to be up half an hour earlier than normal in order to beat Bubbles to the shower and wash myself raw. Again. My skin was still tingling… no wait, _crawling_ all over from what had happened earlier. I didn't understand this. Me and Butch had always made a point of beating the crap out of each other; sexual harassment had never been part of the deal, but now…

"Urgh…!" I practically flung myself over onto my side, gripping my pillow unnecessarily hard as I pressed my face into it and screamed quietly. I needed to hit something. _Anything__**. **_Now.

"_This isn't over, and pretty soon, you won't want it to be…"_

What did that mean? I couldn't make sense of it. What was he saying?

Did it matter?

Eventually, I gave up and slid out of bed. The heat was still oppressive, but I didn't mind it so much now, given the fact that I had elected to dig out a slightly-too-short pair of shorts and an old faded spaghetti strap top that I never wore anymore to sleep in. I padded over to the window, sliding it open and taking a deep breath. It didn't help much. The air was still slightly sticky with humidity, and not in the least bit refreshing, but it was still outside air.

"Stupid…" I murmured to myself, closing my eyes as a faint breeze ruffled my hair across my face. It was too long; I needed it cut soon. I let myself stand there a little longer, but eventually, I knew that I needed sleep. I debated on closing the window, but it was still so warm…

I almost made it into bed. Almost.

He didn't say anything. The only sound came from his shoes touching down on the windowsill. My hand was hovering above the covers and I let it hang there, suddenly feeling myself go numb. I heard him move closer, and slowly straightened up. I wouldn't look.

"You're crossing the line. This has gone too far."

"Has it?" I shut my eyes as he laid his hands on me, trying to keep my breathing even.

"You won't listen, will you?" No reply. I felt my fists tighten, the muscles in my arms tense up. The fight was coming back. _I_ was coming back.

"Last chance Butch. Step away. Stop all this crap. Stop it before it really does go too far." He chuckled again, making me clench my jaw.

"How far," he whispered, "is too far?" And then things started happening way too fast.

I spun around to hit him; to punch, kick, scratch and bite if I had to. I would do anything just to get him away from me, but it was too little, too late.

He knocked my arms away easily and gripped me by the neck, wrenching me closer to him. Before I had time to react, he had one hand tangled in my hair and was forcing me into a kiss. This was nothing like the previous one. If that one had been rough, this one was brutal. He forced my mouth open with his tongue before sinking his teeth into my bottom lip. I yelped as I felt him tear through the skin, blood welling up and running in rivulets down my face. But he didn't stop; he only ran his tongue briefly over it and continued assaulting my mouth. I tried to push him away; I really did, but he's always been just that little bit stronger. I winced as he tugged on my hair, either by accident or on purpose; I didn't know.

"Butch… You're hurting… Ah!" He pulled his head away and shoved me backwards, hard, making me trip over the bed and fall over onto it. Then I started panicking.

"Stay the hell away from me," I gasped. For some reason, I was trying to stay as quiet as possible. I didn't understand why; my sisters were just down the hall, if I called, this would end in a heartbeat, but I didn't. Butch towered over me in the semi-darkness, backlit in the orange glow from the streetlight outside. I could still see his eyes though, glowing faintly in the gloom. His expression was… blank. Hard. I tried to sit back up but he was too quick for me, on top and pinning me down onto the bed.

"Don't…" I said feebly as he ran his tongue over my neck. He paused at the straps of my top, and it was only then that I realised just how exposed I really was. I shifted my weight under him in a hopeless attempt to throw him off, but that just made him press down harder. I struggled more as he slid one strap down off my shoulder.

"You wouldn't dare," I hissed. He pulled up and stared down at me.

"How would you stop me if I did?" he asked quietly. I blinked.

"What the… You're not…"

"Tell me you don't want this." he growled suddenly, sitting up and pulling me up after him, gripping me by the shoulders so hard it felt as though his fingers were going through my skin.

"Tell me you don't want this," he repeated, his voice more urgent this time. I flinched as his grip tightened and then gave a yelp as he slid the other strap of my top down and attacked my neck again.

"Butch, no, I…!" I pushed against him, but it was useless.

"Say it. Tell me. If you don't I'll…" I saw it then, when he lifted his head and looked at me again. He was losing control, something was broken or breaking and he was losing control and he _hated_ it, but there was nothing he could do. And so he did the only thing he could and he hurt me, and he wanted to.

And maybe… maybe I…

"Say it," he was still whispering. "Tell me." But I couldn't. This wasn't me. It would never be me. I couldn't say what he needed to hear.

But I could show him.

I stopped thinking. Nothing meant anything anymore. Instead I reached up to him and pulled him down to me, pressing myself up against him as much as I could. He stiffened momentarily, but then responded with as much aggression as I was giving him. We clawed at each other, removing any obstruction, unaware and uncaring of anything else but each other.

There was a brief return to humanity though. The moment where he paused to look at me.

"Last chance. Any more and I… I won't be able to stop… I could…"

"Hurt me," I finished for him. But I knew and he knew that this couldn't end here. It had gone too far, and there was no going back.

And I didn't care anymore.

-End-

_Okay, at least one more chapter to go…_

_Not sure how this one went, but umm… tell me what you think, kay?_


	4. Fallout

_Okay, so, there was Detonation, and now we have Fallout. Thanks for sticking with it guys; It never would have made it this far without you. I love you for it!_

**Fallout**

Nothing felt real anymore. It was as if I was floating in empty space, totally oblivious to the things that were happening to me. But it couldn't stay that way. I sank back into my body all too quickly; the heat that seared through me keeping me far too conscious. I bit down on my injured lip to stop myself from crying out, doing all I could just to hold on. But I couldn't. There was no point in trying. And so my mind and my body both went screaming over the edge to oblivion.

And then… It was over. Just like that. I lay there breathing in ragged bursts as he pulled away from me. It was strange, I thought. It had all started like this. Me, lying on my back, my hair sticking to my face and blood drying on my skin, but this time, I hadn't lost the fight.

I had surrendered.

I saw him staring at me then, just sitting up next to me and staring. I felt myself closing up, rising into a sitting position as my arms automatically moved to cover myself, even though there was little use in being modest now.

"Why are you still here?" I asked flatly, my voice echoing the emotional void that my mind had become. I couldn't look at him anymore. "You got what you wanted didn't you? There's no point in you staying." I could feel nausea curling around my stomach like so many snakes, making me light-headed and leaving the taste of acid hanging at the back of my throat. The air, so hot before, now felt much cooler, and was rapidly turning the sweat on my skin into clammy moisture that I suddenly, almost desperately, wanted to wash away.

He stayed silent for a moment, and then reached out a hand, resting it under my chin and tipping my head up to look at him. I didn't want to. Even in the dim light filtering in from outside I could make out every muscle, every curve, every outline of his body, still shining from the sweat that he was coated in too. His hair hung limply over his green eyes, still with that glow that made them stand out in the darkness, the same glow that my own eyes have. It was painful to look at him. To look at him and know what that body had done to my own. But I wouldn't look away.

Because I could see that this was hurting him too.

"It doesn't mean anything," I heard myself say. "It doesn't mean a damn thing." He shook his head.

"It was never going to." He was right of course. I had sensed it in him. The same need I had. That need to throw all his energy at something. Anything. It wasn't enough just to beat it out; to throw his whole being into hurting something else like we do every time we fight. I had never noticed it until he looked at me tonight, but when I had seen it in him, I realised that it was in me too. And that he had known that all along.

And now there was no way out except through each other. There was no one else who could handle all the bottled up fury and power that we threw blindly and without restraint at one another. We were trapped now. Knowing the solution, _needing_ the solution but hating it all the same.

"I don't… love you." I said quietly, my voice tripping over that word. It was true. I didn't love him, didn't want him, didn't _feel_ for him, I just needed him. Needed him for reasons that my mind couldn't fully understand. But I had to make sure he knew. I just had to be _sure._

"I know. I didn't want you to." His answer was blunt and delivered in a voice just as flat as my own. We were both shutting down, stopping ourselves from feeling anything so that we didn't have to face what we had done.

"You should go," I murmured. This was over now. There was no point in dragging it out.

"I will. Soon. Go to sleep now." His voice had softened a little now and his hand moved to smooth some of my hair away from my face. His eyes were still cold though, and there was no compassion there. But I had known better than to look for any.

He let his hand drop as I fell back against the pillows, pulling the cover over me and covering myself. I rolled over so that I wouldn't have to look at him anymore. Closing my eyes and not wanting to listen to the sounds of him reaching for his clothes. It couldn't have taken long for me to fall asleep; I don't think I heard him move at all.

I didn't dream. I didn't dream about him.

I woke up too early, immediately conscious of the sticky feeling of dried sweat on my skin and the dull ache between my legs. I tried to ignore them, instead rolling over to face the sunlight coming in through the still open window. It hurt my eyes, but I welcomed the faint pain. It was a good, honest hurt, not the reckless, unthinking, _wrong_ hurt of last night.

And then I saw it.

Lying on the pillow next to me was a single long-stemmed flower. I sat up and lifted it, examining it with bleary morning eyes.

An anemone. I remembered Bubbles telling me about them once. I smiled wryly. A member of the buttercup family; its name meaning 'forsaken', a symbol of dying hope.

And of anticipation.

There was a note attached to it. Just a scrap of paper crudely taped onto the stem. On it, in a messy black scrawl, were the words:

'_Tick, tick, tick…'_

"Boom," I finished quietly, staring out of the window, the dry, emotionless smile still present on my face. I'd find him again, and this time, I wasn't going to lose.

-End-

_Sorry it took so long to get this chapter written. I've been fighting my way through exams and my inspiration's been all outta whack. Also, the site's been acting up so I haven't been able to log in to post the damn thing. Anyway, I finally got it up. I hope you enjoyed it folks!_


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